WORD LISTS

"The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas, Chapters 14–19

Sun Feb 04 13:42:19 EST 2024
By Vocabulary.com (NY)Visual Thesaurus Moderator
This first book of the duology introduces seventeen-year-old Teo, son of the goddess of birds, who must compete for the honor of either carrying an elixir to the temples or being sacrificed to refuel the Sun Stones that protect the people of Reino del Sol.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–7, Chapters 8–13, Chapters 14–19, Chapters 20–26
vindication
But Teo’s vindication didn’t last long when he saw the way Diosa Lumbre’s burning eyes slid to her son.
placate
Xochi’s goat was still tied up but had been placated by the bundle of vines Xochi fed him.
haggard
Atzi—looking haggard and worse for wear—was entirely empty-handed.
steadfast
When it ended, Teo wanted to find Aurelio so they could go play on the steps of the temple, but his mom held steadfast to his hand.
tangent
He waited until Xio went back to poking at his plate of food with a fork and Niya was off on a tangent about the dream she had last night to steal a glance down the table at Aurelio.
fleeting
Teo held his breath, but the glance was fleeting.
satiate
They each had their own agenda—Teo would use Aurelio’s advice to perform better in the trials so he could help himself and Xio. And he was only doing it to help satiate whatever moral reasoning he needed to feel like his success in the trials was earned.
incorporate
Xochi was struggling to find a way to incorporate flowers into her outfit, and Ocelo’s hat was too small for their big head.
stark
Judging by the way she held herself, with her hands clasped behind her back, Teo got the vibe that she was pretty serious, which was in stark contrast to her sister.
insulate
“We care for and respect animals here,” Fauna said. “Including their sacrifices. We honor animals by making use of every part of them, in our clothes, our textiles, our food. Our winter coats are made of fur and insulated with feathers. We even use dried dung to fuel our fires.”
sinew
“They’re sewn together with needles made from bones and sinew used as thread. The buttons are made from antlers, the belts are rawhide, and your shoes are tanned leather. Even the sombreros are made from horse and rabbit hair.”
balk
“Even your hollow bones, Teo, would make beautiful flutes.”
Teo balked as everyone turned to look at him.
throng
When it was time to walk to the arena, the citizens of Opal Oasis came out to support their semidiose in throngs.
gangly
While Aurelio was tall and broad with that heroic stoicism, Teo was gangly and messy-haired and severely lacking in valor.
condescension
“What are you gonna do, tear the tree down?” Teo asked, condescension dripping from his voice.
deftly
Auristela threw balls of fire at Niya, who deftly jumped out of the way before slinging a golden spear like a javelin.
inconsequential
Teo knew there were other people around, but through the fog in his head, he didn’t care about them. They were nothing but shadowy figures, completely inconsequential, until he turned and Dezi came into sharp focus.
quell
Instantly, the sleepy contentment quelled the rising pain and panic.
bemused
Teo looked back to where Dezi was on the ground, still frozen but now with a bemused expression on his face.
deluge
Marino had chased Aurelio into the clearing, relentlessly blasting him with water. Aurelio threw his arms up in an attempt to shield himself, but it was useless against the deluge.
discreet
Diose Guerrero narrowed their eyes at him suspiciously, but Dios Tierra, the kindhearted man that he was, flashed Teo a discreet thumbs-up.
render
“While you were indeed rendered unconscious for the end of the trial, Niya,” Diosa Luna said before anyone else could voice their objections, “You were never tagged out and you did tag two of your competitors.”
rubric
“This isn’t a scored test like you’d take at school,” Diosa Luna told them all in a cool tone. “There isn’t a grading rubric or numerical value assigned that determines your rank.”
petulant
“This is so annoying!” Xio grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets with a petulant scowl.
fathom
Teo couldn’t fathom a situation where Dios Tierra wouldn’t be thrilled to see his daughter.
earnest
“I like your wings,” he said, simple but earnest.
nonchalance
Teo cleared his throat, doing his best to put on a facade of nonchalance and composure.
escapade
As punishment for his escapades the previous night, Teo wasn’t allowed to go to the soccer match that Diose Guerrero had arranged for them to attend.
haunch
But Niya was too busy laughing to do anything while the cub sat back on its haunches, swatting playfully.
unprecedented
“I think this is a trials full of the unprecedented and unexpected.”
briny
The air smelled briny, like sea salt.
reverberate
The crowd erupted in screams, shouts, and whistles. They thundered so loudly, Teo could feel it reverberate deep in his chest.
resounding
Garbled words slowly filled the air until it became one resounding chant.
cumbersome
Since his wings were too cumbersome to allow him to carry his backpack on his back, Teo wore it on his chest to avoid the hassle.
keen
“Looked like a hand,” Xio said with keen curiosity as he squinted at the now closed door.
versed
He clearly wasn’t as well versed in the history of the betrayer gods as the Golds were.
chasm
He fell back, sliding across the stone toward the chasm that had opened up in the floor.
shaft
Small shafts of light cut through cracks in the stone, which was a relief.
foothold
Anchoring himself on footholds Teo couldn’t even see, Dezi smiled triumphantly as he reached for a stone.
ashen
His handsome face was ashen as he stared back at Teo, looking just as terrified as he felt.

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